With popularization of data services, there is little requirement of network knowledge for internet users. An access mode of DHCP+WEB+RADIUS, because of its user-friendly interface and no requirement of sophisticated network knowledge for clients, is becoming a very popular network mode provided by telecom service providers.
DHCP, an abbreviation of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, allows a server to dynamically assign an IP address and relevant configuration information of the server to a client. For such a DHCP, each client can obtain an IP address at start and occupy the IP address thereafter, thus a DHCP access mode uses mass address resources of telecom service providers. Furthermore, the DHCP access mode is unlike a narrowband access mode that can supply a human-machine interface with a perfect connection and disconnection mechanism. At present, no flat rate of fee charging based on client's online time is available in the market, and only a monthly flat rate is used for the clients. On one hand, it wastes a lot of communication resources. On the other hand, with concerns on service level and return on investment, service providers demand urgently technologies of accurate timing to realize the flat rate for DHCP users. When a DHCP user has been in an IDLE state for a period of time, that is, when the user's communication data flow has been lower than an assigned value for a period of time, the user might be considered to be offline, and time charging for the user should be stopped. In other words, it needs to detect a user's IDLE state. Once the user is detected in the IDLE state, the user's connection with the network should be disconnected, and meanwhile time charging of user online should be ceased. Therefore, login timing accuracy to DHCP users relies on timeliness and accuracy of detecting the IDLE state.
Conventional detection methods of the IDLE state are in such way that a timer is directly configured such that data flow of a user is detected periodically at each interval so as to decide whether an increment between the user's data flow and the last check point is less than a threshold (assigned value); if the increment is not greater than the threshold, the user is considered offline; otherwise, the user is considered online or downloading.
The conventional technology, however, has the following defects:
1. Due to inaccuracy of fee charging methods, a user in an IDLE state may be considered as in a normal online state.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, provided that a time interval for IDLE detection is about 5 minutes, a user has a great deal flow at the first minute, and the flow does not exceed a threshold, the user will be forced to login off at the tenth minute according to a conventional algorithm. Such detection error is certainly too large, and can also make a waste in communication resources. To solve the problem, the time interval of detection is usually reduced in conventional methods for IDLE state detection.
2. Due to fixed time intervals, the state of a user may wrongly be detected.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, if the user's flow is relatively large at the fourth and the sixth minute, but such a flow is not large enough to exceed the threshold, the user will be forced to logoff at the tenth minute. In fact, the user's flow at an interval of five minutes exceeds the threshold, and therefore the state of the user may wrongly be detected. To solve the problem, testing time is usually increased in conventional methods for IDLE state detection so as to reduce frequency of wrong detection. Thus it is difficult for conventional methods to achieve a desirable precision for time charging to DHCP users.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.